An octave is a poetic form consisting of eight lines, often found in sonnets or longer poems. It typically follows a specific rhyme scheme, with the most common pattern being ABBAABBA. In many cases, the octave is written in iambic pentameter, which means each line has ten syllables with alternating stressed and unstressed beats. A well-known variation of the form is the Sicilian octave, which uses the ABABABAB rhyme pattern. The octave is frequently used to introduce or develop an argument or theme that is resolved in a subsequent section of the poem.
The first eight lines of a Petrarchan sonnet form an octave.